World Courier Expands Storage Capabilities in India as Clinical Trials Boom

Logistics Insight Asia - Top Story, 4/2/2008

In response to increasing demand from global pharmaceutical companies that conduct clinical trials in India, World Courier will almost triple the capacity of its ISO-certified, GMP-compliant investigational storage facility in Bangalore during 2008. The expansion will be undertaken in two phases, with the first phase being completed by the end of January and the second phase set to get under way in April. The facility will remain open for business throughout the construction period.

The delivery of this expanded temperature-controlled structure to the international research community follows ground-breaking 2004 patent legislation governing the molecular composition of new and existing drugs. Since then, the progressive legislation – combined with the country’s widely varied and densely populated demographics – has attracted growing numbers of the pharmaceutical community to a local clinical trial market that is expected to exceed $1.5 billion (U.S.) in investment by 2010.

Staffed by full-time licensed pharmacists, the Bangalore storage facility provides comprehensive logistical solutions for investigational drugs and trial-related materials in a variety of temperature-controlled settings that range from +25oC to -70oC. Services include validated storage areas for drugs, diagnostic kits and medical devices; round-the-clock access to inventories; transport of all investigational drugs and supplies from the country of origin to the depot; immediate delivery of specified drugs/kits from the depot to in-country locations; drug return/destruction management; and complete logistics chain management. All documentation and materials are fully traceable using CTM-STARSM, World Courier’s own CFR21-11-compliant monitoring system which allows customers to view their inventories 24x7 via live password-protected Internet feed.

World Courier currently maintains a network of seven investigational drug storage facilities worldwide, with installations in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico), Lima (Peru), Moscow (Russia) and Bangalore (India). Five new global locations are planned to come online in strategic and developing markets during 2008, increasing World Courier’s network of temperature-controlled biopharm facilities to 12 worldwide.

World Courier, www.worldcourier.com